The hot summer temperatures are in the past and it's time to enjoy the cool autumn weather. With cool temperatures, you start to see some of the beautiful fall colors we most enjoy: the maples are turning golden and the sumac is almost hot pink. But most of you may not enjoy the brown layer of leaves on the lawn after the color has gone.

There are many options for managing fall leaf disposal. Although it is not recommended, if you absolutely cannot stand the look of leaves on your lawn, you can bag them and dispose of them. If you are in the Norman area, you have the option of taking your leaves, branches and other yard waste to the Norman Compost Facility at 348 Bratcher-Miner Road, just off Highway 9 and Jenkins Avenue. City of Normanites are lucky in that they can leave bagged yard waste at the curb for Friday pick-up. Whatever you do, try to keep yard waste from taking up space in landfills.

Another option is to rake and gather leaves like usual, but transport them to perennial flower beds for use as an inexpensive, natural mulch. Make sure the leaves aren't piled or deep as to suffocate the plants, 2-4 inches of mulch is sufficient. In addition, Sycamore and other large leaved trees may be too big to use as mulch.

You can also choose to start a compost pile at home with fallen leaves. Composting is environment friendly and good for many household wastes such as kitchen scraps, shredded paper, and other paper goods. Home composting is rather easy and doesn't take any fancy equipment or containers. To start, excavate an appropriate size hole in the ground. Make sure the spot is out of the way as to not be an eyesore, but close enough that it can be used easily. Then simply fill the hole with leaves, bedding material, and other waste that is removed from the home and garden. You may choose to put up a fence of some type to hold waste in as it accumulates. Turn frequently with a shovel or pitchfork and water the pile when dry, to a spongy texture when squeezed. Do not include meat, dairy, oil, fish, pet manure in the compost pile.

If time is not on your side, consider just mowing the leaves. Compared to other methods, mowing is a quick and easy way to help rid your yard of leaves. In smaller pieces, the leaves will break down better and add valuable nutrients back to the lawn. For best results, the leaves should be dry and not piled too deep.

Homeowners can also catch chopped leaves in the bag attached to the mower. This allows the leaves to be easily distributed whenever needed. If you have several large trees and lots of leaves to dispose of, you may want to invest in renting or purchasing a vacuum shredder, which works much better than a traditional blower. Take precautions when shredding or chopping leaves with any type of machine, as damp leaves can clog equipment.

One final note: do not use any diseased leaves as mulch. These leaves should be collected and disposed of away from plantings. Diseases can over-winter in the leaves and branches and cause disease problems in the plants the next year.

For more information on composting or mulching, please feel free to contact the Cleveland County Cooperative Extension Service at 321-4774, or visit our Web site at http://oces.okstate.edu/cleveland. You can also access OSU Fact Sheets online at: osufacts.okstate.edu.